Getting Ready For A New Evolution: Day 63

Evolution one – week nine

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Hello Folks,

Another beautiful day in Ithaca. I am still sore from yesterdays hauling project, but not too sore to workout! Ha. I did a double day today. I shortened my cardio to 20 minutes. I drank a ton of water with Emergen-C mixed in it to boost my immune system. I decided to do a Tai Chi workout. I did everything real slow. I definitely felt the burn!

I have to say; this week my measurements, body fat percentage and weight have pretty much stayed the same. The only noticeable difference is that my fitness level has gone up a bit. I am going to have to look at my menu for this week a little bit more closely. I haven’t been counting calories at all. I have mainly been watching portions and eating 5 meals a day.

I think If I am going to get my weight down a little bit more I am going to have to challenge it some. I also need to eat more vegetables. I eat a lot of salads with tuna or eggs or tofu, but not so much broccoli, asparagus and those kinds of veggies, unless you count my liquid day, which includes beets, carrots and apples.

The good news is that because I am doing this every day I am still feeling very motivated and seeing lots of progress in other areas of my life. I feel better about myself, I am looking forward to summer and swimming and I like my body.

I still have some more goals around what I want to achieve. I am especially looking forward to the Quadathlon in August. I am excited to get ready for the big event.

I used a body fat calculator on-line and got around 20 percent body fat. I also used a calculator that tells you your Basal Metabolic Rate...same idea as body fat percentage. It tells me that my caloric burn per day is around 1700 to 1900; based on my activity level and weight and height and age.

A pound of fat is equal to 2500 calories. In order for me to continue to burn fat I need to eat 2500 calories less per week. Since I am obviously not burning fat any more; my body has started to adapt to my menu and exercise, I need to change my menu, since I have already increased my exercise.

This means that I consume about 1800 calories times 7 (days) or 12600 calories per week. If I want to lose a pound of fat this week I either have to increase my exercise more or eat less. If I eat less, that means I should eat around 10100 calories this coming week to lose a pound of fat. 10100 calories divided by 7 days equals around 1400 calories per day.

Probably my age has played a significant role in the amount of calories I burn. Hard to say for sure though. Also, this is a very simplistic calculation, so who knows how accurate it is. Anyway, I will give it a shot this week. 1400 calories divided by 5 meals equals around 280 calories per meal.

This means I will eat...

Meal 1: 300 calories
Meal 2: 300 calories
Meal 3: 300 calories
Meal 4: 300 calories
Meal 5: 200 calories

I haven’t been calculating my calories at all, so now I am going to start to casually count. I am not a big fan of being anal about calorie counting, but since this is an experiment I can tolerate it for a little while.

That means more planning of my meals. I am also going to lighten my dinner a little and make my bigger meals during the day. Let’s see what happens.


Exercise: Continuous Training, Interval Training

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Temporary is better than permanent

Evolution one – week nine

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Hello Folks,

I worked out this morning. It was so beautiful out I decided to go for a run. Today was a big project day for me. I have been renovating my downstairs apartment. It looks like a demolition site! After my workout this morning, my real workout happened. I must have hauled 1000 pounds of materials. I made sure I didn’t overwork one side of my body. I don’t want to pay for it later.

I am pretty excited about summer. I am just starting to feel really healthy now. Even today when I was hauling heavy loads of plaster and wood I didn’t feel tired. I wasn’t breathing hard. It is nice to feel the benefits of being in shape again. I really had to work at it on my run to breath heavy.

I am looking forward to wearing a bathing suite for once. It has been a long time since I felt like I looked good in a bathing suit. I would usually just jump in the water right away, so I wouldn’t have too many people really see my body. I always dreaded swimming. I don’t like to do laps, but it is nice to cool off. Well, I am going to get some sunshine after a long day of laboring.

Exercise: Pyramid, Interval (run – 30 mins.)

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: This body, full of faults, has yet one great quality: whatever it encounters in this temporal life depends upon one’s actions.

Quadathlon: Day 61

Evolution one – week nine

Friday, May 1, 2009

Hello Folks,

This afternoon I was able to fit my workout in after I left work. It definitely helps to get off work at 12:30 on Friday; I get so much more of my errands done. I ran around paying bills and buying dog food; stuff like that. When I came home I did my Continuous Training and Cardio workout.

As a way to continue to motivate myself on this weight loss journey; I am going to do a Quadathlon. It will give me a reason to not only cross-train, but also to train hard in the process. Originally, I had wanted to do a triathlon before I turn 40. I have always wanted to compete in a triathlon for as long as I can remember. I have competed in bike races and running races but not something with three exercises in one.

I love running and biking, but I am not a big fan of swimming. I am a pretty good swimmer, but my technique is weak. When I was little I had several drowning incidents. One time I was taking a class with other kids. I learned the front stroke, so I was doing pretty well. Then the teacher told us to doggy paddle across the pool. I started to doggy paddle with all the other kids but got tired quickly.

Because I sucked at it, half way across the pool I started to drown. The teacher told me to do the front stroke, but I was so panicked I didn’t understand her. She ended up jumping in and coaching me to swim the way I knew how. It was so embarrassing, I didn’t want to go back to the pool for a very long time.

Ever since that incident, I prefer to play in the water rather than swim laps or something. Anyway, I am not looking forward to the swimming part of the Quadathlon. The truth is, I was looking for a triathlon that has kayaking, biking and running- rather than swimming, biking and running. All I could find was this Quadathlon, which includes biking, running, swimming and kayaking.

When I found the Quadathlon on the internet I thought that it would be pretty cool to do. I was psyched that it included kayaking and I figure I will get over the swimming thing. What I like about this particular event is the distances for each event seem manageable to me.

It is called the Hendry Hudson Quadathlon. It will be held in Hudson, NY. It is an event to celebrate Henry Hudson’s historic voyage up the Hudson River. I will run high above the Hudson across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, swim in Catskill Creek, cycle from Catskill to Athens along the bank of the Hudson and then paddle past the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse to finish in Hudson City. Sounds pretty cool huh?

It is a relatively short event, and who knows, if I really enjoy it I may do one or more of these every year for fun. The distances are pretty short too: run: 3.5 miles, Swim: ¼ mile, Bike: 7.1 miles, Kayak: 1.1 mile. It will be held on August 2nd. I am going to drive down with an old friend of mine, who is also interested in competing. Stay tuned for my video record of this historic event!

Exercise: Continuous Training, Interval (bike 30 mins.)

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Better to kayak than swim; to run than walk; to bike than crawl

Exactly Two Months: Day 60

April 30, 2009: Day 60: Top pictures

March 3, 2009: Day 2: Bottom Pictures

Evolution one – week nine

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was a major recovery day for me. Last night I was hurting. A combination of no sleep for several nights in a row and getting my period took its toll on my body. Last night I even had one of those vivid dreams I get when I go into a deep sleep!

I took the day off from work to recover. Fortunately for me, today is a free day, so I didn’t exercise and I ate what I wanted. Frankly, I didn’t have too much of an appetite this afternoon, but I stuck to my 5 meals a day, just for good measure.

I have softball practice today, but the way I am feeling, I don’t think I could do much but catch the ball. I don’t feel too excited about running after the ball.

On days like this I usually take a hot bath. I try to use Epsom salt; about 2 cups in my bath does the trick. Apparently, Epsom Salt removes toxins from the body without making you feel tired after you bathe.

It is made up of Magnesium sulfate, which is absorbed through your skin during your bath. When you absorb Magnesium sulfate it is a natural way to draw toxins from your body, calm your nervous system, reduce swelling and relax your muscles. Sounds like a wonder drug to me.
I love to take baths when I have cramps because almost instantly the heat makes them go away. I used to take baths without Epsom Salt, until someone recommended trying it in my bath. I tried it and noticed a big difference in how I felt when I got out of the bath.

I take long baths, so I expect to be tired or drained a little bit, but whenever I used Epsom, I didn’t feel tired at all and my skin was soft instead of dry. Anyway, it worked for me; I felt much better afterwards!

Today is day 60; it has been exactly two month’s since I started this body transformation. In honor of today I am going to post my current front/ back pictures, along with my day 2 front/back pictures. Check out the difference! Something happened to my first day back picture; I accidentally deleted it, so I post my Day 2 pictures instead. I looked the same as I did on day one, so I don’t think it is a big deal. It is a bummer that I lost the first day 1 back picture though.


Exercise: none
Menu: whatever I want

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Better to bath and break and be happy than to suffer

Tired: Day 59

Evolution one – week nine

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Hello Folks,

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so my immune system is down. I still worked out, despite only having two hours of sleep. I don't recommend doing it on a regular basis. I felt fine during exercise, but afterwards I crashed!

Tomorrow is my free day, so I will have plenty of time to get rest....yaaay.

So, I am going to post my pictures and sign out.

Exercise: Continuous Training, Interval (bike - 20 mins.)

Menu: Liquid

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: There is nothing, no tragedy too great, no malady so incurable, that we cannot find something to counteract it if we do not forget to go within ~ Paramananda

Without Failure How Will We Truly Succeed: Day 58

Evolution one – week nine

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Hello Folks,

I dragged myself out of bed pretty early this morning to walk my dog before my workout. Last time I ran with my dog, he wasn’t too happy when we arrived home. I decided to walk him first from now on, and then do my workout afterwards.

I did my Pyramid Training followed by Interval Training on the bike. I focused on a picture I posted of my ideal body while working out. One of the strategies I am using to lose weight is visualization.

I have been thinking about what it takes to succeed at a goal. There seems to be a general consensus that some of the most successful people in the world have experienced some kind of failure. Not only have they experienced failure, but massive failure; the kind of failure that could devastate some folks to no return. Somehow, through the process of losing everything or failing massively, certain individuals rise from the ashes.

What makes some rise like the Phoenix and others fall into a state of complete despair? I can only guess, but certainly it is worth studying those who succeed. Who are they? What did they do? How were they raised? What were their beliefs? The list of questions is endless.

Is it through mistakes that we really grow to become who we are? Let’s look at a child. When a child learns how to ride a bike, at first they are a little wobbly. They adjust and try again until they can peddle. Sometimes someone shows them how to ride, gives them tips. Eventually, after lots of practice they can ride really well. Let’s say that one day the kid rides on glass and gets a flat. One kid may chuck the bike and give up, never riding again. Another kid might bring the bike home and have the tire fixed and ride again.

My bike example is pretty basic, but the idea is that through trial and error we learn things. I suspect that the bigger risks we take the greater chance for failure and success. I suspect success and risk go hand and hand. The question then becomes, how much risk are we willing to take. How far out on the limb are we willing to go; and if at first we don’t succeed, will we try, try again?

Who better to teach someone how to succeed, than someone who has learned what NOT to do? Sometimes the best way to learn what not to do is to take those risks that may lead to failure.

Fear of failure is a powerful enemy. It keeps us from living up to our full potential. It keeps us at that the job we don’t like. It keeps us in a relationship that is no longer good for either person. It makes any kind of big decision difficult to make.

I think the first rule to follow in order to succeed in a weight loss goal is to strategize how you are going to deal with any failures that might come your way. I think by expecting success and planning for failure you can ultimately succeed. Take each failure as an opportunity to learn what to do; to use it to point the way can be very powerful.

Visualize success, Strategize for failure.

Exercise: Pyramid Training, Interval (bike – 30 min.)

Menu: Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: Failure stripped away everything inessential. It taught me things about myself I could have learned no other way. ~J.K. Rowling

My first Vlog: Day 57

My First Vlog: Day 57

Evolution one – week nine

Monday, April 27, 2009

Hello Folks,

Today was another very busy day. I didn’t get a lot of sleep again last night, and I am feeling it! This morning I recorded my first video log. I am thinking it might be nice to use my vlogs to share with you my progress and strategies for weight loss as I continue to meet my goals.

Let me know what you think!

If you look to the right of this screen on the sidebar you will see two video collections. The top one is my first Vlog!

Exercise: Interval Training (35 mins. Spin), Pyramid Weight Training

Menu:Veggies and Protein

Until next time…

Think, Believe, Act, Achieve

Dakota

Today’s Mantra: When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way